In this episode of the InOn Health podcast, KP welcomes Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, senior site lead and section head for women’s services at Ochsner Health. Veronica addresses the two leading factors in health disparities and outcomes—implicit bias and structural racism.
Show Notes
Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell joins KP in this episode of the InOn Health podcast. Veronica is the senior site lead and section head for women’s services at Ochsner Health. She is also the medical director for the Perinatal Quality Collaborative and Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review for the Louisiana Department of Health.
Veronica discusses implicit bias and structural racism within the United States healthcare system. She explains how systemic policies and laws have created and upheld systemic disparities. Veronica addresses maternal mortality and the gaps between black and white women. For example, a black woman with a college degree is twice as likely to experience severe maternal morbidity compared to a white woman with an eighth-grade education. Veronica explains that this gap is a result of implicit bias, micro-aggressions, and social conditioning. Veronica further explains race is a social condition, not a biological condition. She elaborates how this construct connects to racial-residential segregation—physical separation of groups into different neighborhoods (ex: black people living near black people, white people living near white people). Veronica outlines the negatively distinct living conditions associated with this concept. For example, minority neighborhoods experience higher crime levels, less green space to remain active and exercise, and lower property taxes—less funding for education and public schools—resulting in an environment that does not support good health.
Veronica breaks down the concept of social conditioning by discussing how black and brown people are portrayed in the media and how the portrayal creates stereotypical perceptions, influencing people’s biases. Implicit biases create negative interactions between patients and healthcare providers, resulting in micro-aggressions and poor health outcomes. Veronica shares Ochsner Health created a physician diversity and inclusion council to address and prevent implicit bias on an internal level. She also discusses two separate initiatives designed to reduce maternal mortality/morbidity and improve care for substance-exposed dyad (mother and baby). Veronica presents final thoughts addressing how telehealth has the potential to narrow or broaden health gaps, dependent on infrastructure and proper access to technology.
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What is InOn Health Podcast?
Health equity issues in our country have been around for decades – largely impacting communities of color and rural areas. When it comes to economic and racial disparities in health the evidence is clear. This is more than a hot topic. Covid-19 has exposed the underbelly of how social determinants of health and racial disparities play out in our country. What we need now is to impart lasting change.
Welcome to the InOn Health podcast. I’m your host Kaakpema Yelpaala, and I’m the co-founder and CEO of InOn Health.
In this podcast we’re going to be talking about health equity. We’ll be talking to entrepreneurs, thought leaders, investors, and other industry experts in healthcare and public health. The topics we’ll cover will range from racial disparities in health to digital innovation for diverse populations, and ultimately how we build better policy to more inclusively serve everyone around their healthcare needs.
Join me on this podcast series to not only be inspired by our leaders but also to get insight on how we can all take action.